


The Mind is it's Own Place

by Branch



Series: River [3]
Category: Angel Sanctuary
Genre: Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-08
Updated: 2010-01-08
Packaged: 2017-10-05 23:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Branch/pseuds/Branch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is changing for everyone, and everyone has to find some way to deal with it. Drama with, perhaps, some vague Romance here and there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mind is it's Own Place

_“The mind is its own place, and in itself, / Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.” Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 1, ll 249-55_

### Uriel

Uriel sat back in his chair as Doll bounced into the room with the tea tray. Perhaps someday he would discover how she managed that without rattling a single saucer; for the time being he only accepted the cup she poured him with absent thanks, mind still occupied with a different mystery.

“Master?”

“Mm?” Uriel turned his attention back to her.

“It’s time to wind me up again,” she told him, brightly, removing her key from its place on her necklace and offering it.

“Doll,” Uriel told her, a little amused, “you can do that for yourself, now.”

Doll nibbled her lip and glanced down, and then back up at him from under her lashes. Uriel stifled a sigh. She really had a remarkable instinct for how to get around him. Her determination on her own way of doing things reminded him strongly of his old second among the Dominions, though their tactics couldn’t be more different.

“All right, then.” He accepted the key and opened the panel in Doll’s stomach as she tucked her blouse up modestly. “There,” he said, gently, as he finished. He couldn’t help but return the brilliant smile she gave him.

“What are you working on?” she asked, picking up her own tea.

A slightly different blend than his, to be sure; she was still a creature of Yggdrasil, after all.

“Is that,” she tipped her head, frowning at the bright lines and curves hovering over the table, “…Heaven?”

Uriel had come more and more to believe that Doll must have been an angel of rank before her death. For her to recognize this schematic view only confirmed it.

“In a way,” he agreed. “And also not. You remember that the hells were cut loose and driven into the heavens in this last war?”

She nodded, still frowning at the image.

“This is what’s happened since. Some reaction occurred between the two, and the planes have been merging into each other.” Uriel paused a moment, contemplating the image himself. “Or, perhaps I should say, they are merging into something else.”

“Yes,” Doll murmured, one fingertip tracing lines here and there. “This isn’t how it used to be.”

“It’s causing a certain amount of consternation.” Uriel tried to keep his expression from being too pleased, but wasn’t sure he succeeded judging by the way Doll suddenly grinned at him. He cleared his throat. “The land is… refracting. Structures are appearing that aren’t quite like anything ever created in either Heaven or Hell, and they seem remarkably resistant to being changed. I don’t know who first started calling the new area Abe, but it’s very fitting. The land grows like a living thing.” He hesitated. “What I was looking at today,” he continued, slowly, “was the connection that seems to be developing between Abe and Yggdrasil.”

Doll blinked at him. “They’re… touching?” she asked in a startled tone. He couldn’t blame her; it was a rather unusual development. The heavens had always refused the touch of the World Tree, before.

“Yes. There seems to be a place where they’re growing together. I think it may be the new connection between realms, the way our worlds are stabilizing themselves after the old connections were cut.” He smiled at Doll. “It does mean you could come with me, when I go there.”

She looked up at him, solemnly. “Do you want to go back, Master?”

“Back to my old place? No.” Uriel stared, unseeing, at the table in front of him. “I’ll never give either angels or demons the power of my voice again. And the order of Dominions… I have no place with them anymore.” Though he did sometimes wonder whether Ara-san had survived or not. He hadn’t seen his old second during the recent conflict, but that didn’t really mean anything. Though she was the sort to rise to prominence wherever she went. But, perhaps… He shook off the dark reflections as well as he could.

A slight weight settled against him, and he looked down, surprised, to see Doll’s head resting on his shoulder.

“It will be nice to be able to stay with you,” she offered.

Uriel smiled a little, and stroked her hair. “Yes,” he agreed. “It will.”

### Belial

The windows of Lucifer’s growing city occurred in strange places sometimes. Belial liked it. Especially the ones with deep ledges set just above head height, that allowed someone to perch in them unobtrusively and enjoy the view both inside and out. At the moment the view inside was more interesting. Outside offered the architecture characteristic of all Abe’s cities, glass and stone, odd trees, towers with doors halfway up, fountains in the middle of stairways.

Inside, Astaroth was waving a knife around his own throat. And, while Belial did make a small hobby of watching the city and attempting to catch new parts coming into being, Astaroth’s current performance was moving along at a much more riveting pace.

Belial had heard people say that they would go mad if they had to attend some boring meeting or other for another minute, but had never seen it actually happen before. Astaroth seemed to have been set off by Lucifer’s mention that Uriel had begun to receive the souls of demons. It was a bit difficult to tell for sure, of course, given the incoherence with which Astaroth was shouting about oblivion and the destruction of souls.

“You want to follow her?” Lucifer asked, at last, from where he leaned in one of the archways.

Astaroth turned somewhat wild eyes on him.

“Then you might not want to do it that way,” their lord continued, nodding at the knife. “Self-destruction was always a touchy issue, you may recall.”

Astaroth inhaled, sharply. “You believe _His_ strictures will still bind us?” he asked, voice thin.

Lucifer shrugged one shoulder. “Some parts still seem to hold. Others have crumbled. Who knows?”

“I don’t care!” Astaroth proclaimed, voice spiraling up again. “If it isn’t broken already, _I’ll_ break it!” He raised the knife again.

Lucifer ran a hand through his hair, and Belial smiled, imagining his silent sigh.

“Astaroth.”

Belial shivered. That was the voice that none of them could ignore and few of them could defy; Lucifer didn’t use it very often. It struck Astaroth silent and still, now.

“Come here,” Lucifer said, more quietly, pushing off from the wall and beckoning.

Hope flared in Astaroth’s eyes, strange to see there. He laid the knife in Lucifer’s hand and sank to the floor at his feet, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. “Majesty… my Lord…” he whispered.

The ironic quirk of Lucifer’s lips told Belial that he was reflecting on the rarity of such heartfelt respect from one of the Satans. “Good luck finding your other self, Astaroth,” he murmured. “And better luck next time.”

The knife slid into Astaroth without drama or flourish, and he collapsed remarkably quietly for someone, in Belial’s opinion, so given to histrionics. Se slid down from the window ledge.

“And so passes the last of us who kept any significant following among the demons of middling power,” se noted, sweeping a mocking bow to Beelzebub and Leviathan and rising to face Lucifer. “Which leaves a significant number at loose ends, now. Do you wish them to be contained or killed?”

Lucifer’s cool look gave nothing away. “The ones with enough ambition or hatred to make trouble are engaged with the splinters of the Host still concerned with fighting us instead of each other. They’re a self-solving problem.”

“Problem?” Beelzebub repeated, softly. “Is it no longer your intention to defeat the Host? Majesty.”

Lucifer actually laughed out loud. “What Host?” he asked. “Two thirds of everyone is dead, the Orders are in chaos, even the ones that still have their leaders, and the Anima Mundi, the only credible threat, shows no particular interest in us one way or another.”

“And Michael?” Leviathan rumbled.

Belial edged discreetly back, so as to be out of the potential line of fire.

“Michael will come to me, if he comes,” Lucifer noted. “What are you worried for?”

“I worry for your future plans,” Leviathan answered, bluntly. “We have followed you because you hated Heaven more than any of us, enough to lead us back and destroy those who cast us out. Will you turn away from that now, Majesty?”

Lucifer looked deeply amused. “You followed me because you weren’t strong enough to replace me, even with my soul gone,” he corrected with brutal truth. “And the one who cast us out is destroyed. Further vendetta is a waste of time when we could be enjoying our return already. If you two are so taken with the idea of spitting on our exile, you could always look into taking over your old order. The seraphim are without a leader, after all.”

Belial had to bite hir lip at the long look Beelzebub and Leviathan shared, and the way they carefully didn’t say anything to each other as they left. Once they were out the door, se indulged in a good laugh.

Lucifer raised a brow at hir.

“One bows to your brilliance, my lord,” Belial declaimed, suiting action to word. “One can think of few things more appealing to their grudge than that. And ruling the Order of Seraphim would, of course, require them to deal once again with angels as their own people.”

“I suppose it will,” Lucifer agreed. “Hopefully they’ll also be too busy watching each other to attack me.” His look turned serious. “Or you, which is a more likely first step. Watch yourself, butterfly.”

“Life would be boring without these little challenges,” Belial said, airily.

Exasperation edged into Lucifer’s expression, and Belial laughed up at him.

“One is careful, my lord. With such destructive associates, it doesn’t do to ever be otherwise.”

### Raphael

Building material rained down around Raphael in very small pieces, and he smiled. It looked like Michael had finally resumed his hobby of destroying Raphael’s offices; he’d been a bit concerned for a while, there. It just wasn’t natural for Michael to be as considerate as he had been of late.

“Trying to give me more casualties to take care of, Mika-chan?” he inquired.

“You’re a doctor, you’re supposed to have casualties,” Michael told him, plunking down on top of his desk.

“That isn’t quite the way we hope it will work,” Raphael murmured.

“Besides,” Michael added, ignoring the interruption, “it’s only fair for you to do your share. There’s a ton of casualties out there,” he waved toward the hole in the wall, “that you never see in your cushy little roost here.”

Raphael shrugged that off. “This isn’t a field hospital.”

Michael glared at him. “You know, you’re a real bastard when you’re trying to act like you don’t give a damn.”

“Considering how many casualties you’ve personally contributed, Mika-chan, don’t you think that’s a little of the pot and kettle?” Raphael prodded.

Michael snorted, indignantly. “I only add to the body count when the idiots get in my way trying to kill each other. And don’t call me Mika-chan,” he added with another glare.

Raphael smirked.

“Michael-sama, how nice to see you,” Barbiel said from the doorway.

“Yo.” Michael waved.

Raphael had been a little surprised, when he came out of regeneration, to see how well his second and Michael were getting along. Michael seemed to have rubbed off on her a little; she was far more outspoken than she used to be. Always polite and respectful, but definitely more outspoken. He wondered whether Michael had anything to do with Barbiel’s new penchant for wearing her sleek, black combat gear under her lab coat, too. Not that it wasn’t becoming.

“These requests need your approval, Raphael-sama,” she said, holding up a handful of folders. She paused and looked pointedly at Michael’s seat on the desk.

“Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on,” Michael grumbled. Raphael noticed that he did, however, move off the desk promptly enough. Clearly, the influence didn’t go all one way.

“I certainly do, in the office at least,” Barbiel answered with a bland smile and a glint in her eye.

Definitely more outspoken.

“Too much information!” Michael yelled. “I don’t want to know what you do with that pervert!”

“Considering the things you’ve walked in on in the past,” Raphael observed, dryly, “I have to wonder what might be left that you don’t know about.”

“That’s because you’re a disgusting lech who thinks anyone who does walk in would be looking,” Michael said, righteously.

“The only one who would put up with a brat who has the manners of an untrained puppy,” Raphael returned, agreeably.

They grinned at each other.

“Well, I just dropped in to say hi,” Michael told him, hopping up onto the ruined outside wall. “So I’ll see you around. Later Bar-chan!”

“Have fun Michael-sama,” she called after him, smiling. She looked down at Raphael, eyes still laughing. “The requests, Raphael-sama?”

“Hm. What about a kiss, first?” he suggested, taking her hand to draw her closer.

“Work first, please, Raphael-sama,” she told him, serenely.

He sighed, but, having extensive experience with her dedication to doing her job properly, let her go and flipped through the folders, signing off on each one. She accepted them back and leaned down to give him a kiss sweet enough to make up for the delay.

“Are you going to be making rounds today?” she asked, as they parted.

“Yes. It’s been a while since I checked with our people working in Machonon.”

“I’ll get your body armor ready, then,” she said, one hand going absently to check the gun at her hip. “And,” she added, glancing at the hole in the wall, “get the repair crew up here again while we’re out.”

“Quite,” Raphael agreed, smiling at the wreckage.

### Noise

“Those towers are new,” the queen remarked, pausing on their walk. “Has anyone been inside them, yet?”

“I asked Lil to take a look today,” Noise told her. “We don’t have enough people, yet, to need the space, but I told her to make sure there weren’t any gates to odd places at least.”

Kurai-sama snorted. “Like the one in my first bedroom, under the bed, that went through to that ice valley. Can I pick ‘em or what? I think it’s a sign.”

“The new land doesn’t seem quite that… intentional, Majesty,” Noise answered, torn between amusement and worry. Kurai-sama seemed to notice, and smiled at her.

“Don’t worry, Noise, I’m just sulking.”

“You don’t sulk, Kurai-sama,” Noise protested.

“Not so much anymore, I suppose,” the queen agreed, easily.

“Have you been thinking a lot, lately, about finding a consort?” Noise asked, after a minute, firmly suppressing the desire to add _about time_.

Kurai-sama sighed, and leaned against the rail of the colonnade they were walking through. “Some. I’m less worried, these days, about needing a marriage alliance. Our upper border, which is really the one I’m most worried about, is secure. For now,” she added, wryly.

“So that really was the Mad Hatter who visited the other day?” Noise asked, as neutrally as she could.

“Yep. It’s actually his personal domain that came up against our border. At least we can be sure no one but Lucifer himself will come through there.” Kurai-sama frowned, suddenly, and looked at Noise with concerned eyes. “Did you meet him? I asked him to stay away from you.”

“He did,” Noise assured her, looking down at the courtyard below them. “I just caught sight of him in passing.” She shook herself and looked back up at her queen. “Besides, you cleansed his mark from me. I’m fine, now.”

Kurai-sama didn’t look very convinced, but she let Noise have her way. “It was the dragons who cleansed it,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “I just asked nicely. Anyway, if I don’t need an alliance marriage, I do need to find a consort, still. I’m the last of my line. I know it makes you all kind of nervous.”

“We want you to be happy, too, Kurai-sama,” Noise said, softly.

Kurai-sama threw an arm around her shoulders in a quick hug. “I know,” she answered. Then she grinned. “Maybe I’ll ask Jade where to find someone.”

Noise quailed at the thought of what the acerbic dragons might say to a request like that. The queen was definitely the bravest woman she knew.

### Raziel

Raziel listened to his people argue and thought longingly of the bottle of painkillers in the next room.

“Bodiel, we can’t possibly include demons in our ranks!” Oriphiel snapped. “It’s irresponsible of you to feed Raziel-sama’s fancy on this subject.”

Strangling Oriphiel might help, too, now he thought about it.

“And now we see exactly why Zaphkiel-sama passed command to Raziel-sama and not to you,” Bodiel shot back, her eyes narrow with leashed anger. “He understands Zaphkiel-sama’s goals.”

“You presume too much on the fact that you were his second,” Oriphiel growled.

“You think too much about the fact that he was appointed Great One of our order instead of you,” Bodiel returned, coldly.

“Excluding them simply because they were once cast out would be a bit hypocritical for us, wouldn’t it?” Jael interjected, soft-voiced.

“And surely not all of them want to kill and eat us on sight,” Rampel added, with a smile at Jael for remembering the Forbidden Children who were Rampel’s own constituency.

“So you want to go out unarmed to take the risk?” Oriphiel asked.

Raziel slammed his hand down on the table, finally losing patience. “I’m not asking you to serve yourself up with a sprig of parsley! Although,” he added, “you’re tempting me to reconsider in a few cases.”

Even Oriphiel was silent as Raziel’s glare swept the table.

“We can’t do nothing,” he continued, more evenly. “The demons are beginning to spread out more and more. Life will be infinitely easier if they recognize us as, at the least, a neutral force who won’t threaten them without cause.”

“Raziel-sama, you know I support your decision,” Bodiel said into the quiet, “but I am concerned about what we should do if they reject our offer and turn on us.”

Raziel saw the echo of Mad Hatter’s words, during the Third War, in her eyes. “Well,” he sighed, “they haven’t attacked us in force or with coordination so far, so I think we don’t need to worry too much about the higher ranked demons. Lucifer must not wish to move against us, or things would have been different. For the others, who are settling around the new land… we’ll just have to go case by case and keep our weapons handy.”

Three of his four subcommanders nodded, and Oriphiel followed after a grudging hesitation.

“Then I think that’s all for today,” Raziel said, trying to keep the relief out of his voice. He managed to remain in control and at ease until he got past the door. Then he dove for his medicine cabinet.

If Zaphkiel-sama had had to deal with anything like this, he owed his mentor’s memory vast apologies for yelling at him so often.

### Arariel

Arariel leaned her chair back and examined the ceiling. “How many does this make?” she asked.

“Three,” Nisroc answered, despite their both knowing the question had been rhetorical. Arariel knew perfectly well how many demons she had accepted among her people.

“An invasion without troop movements or a single supply truck to be seen anywhere,” she stated. “He knows what he’s doing.”

“Are you sure this is all by Lucifer’s intention?” Nisroc asked, cautiously.

“I’m sure,” Arariel said, firmly. “Mad Hatter wouldn’t follow anyone without a brain, and if he hasn’t stopped them all scattering he must approve of the results it will bring.” She swung her chair upright again. “Now we just have to decide what to do about that.”

“We trust your judgment.” Nisroc’s voice was quiet.

Arariel stood and clasped his shoulder briefly. “Thank you. You know I’ll do my best for all of us.” She looked out the window. “No matter what it takes.”

* * *

Belial liked to perch on top of the arches that bridged the city streets. The view was excellent, and se did like to keep abreast of how the city was running. It was rare that this observation moved hir to intervention, but se was wondering, now, whether it might not be advisable. Se suspected that if the two demons below annoyed Arariel any more the results could be… significant.

Belial sympathized entirely, of course. Se had never had any patience with strutting underlings, either. But it would mean a delay before Belial found out why Arariel had come, and that would be annoying.

“…kind of stringy, maybe we should start with the other one,” one of the leering idiots said, eyeing the very tense angel behind Arariel. Armaita, if Belial remembered correctly, not one se had known well.

Arariel’s eyes narrowed, and her wings unfurled, pure and brilliant against the stone of the city. Belial decided enough was enough.

“You will not,” se stated.

“Yeah, and who…” the demon choked as Belial slipped down from the arch. A cold, amused look sent both demons scuttling away, stumbling over disclaimers and apologies. Belial sniffed, and turned back to hir acquaintances in time to catch Armaita’s sigh of relief.

Arariel was wearing a rather crooked smile. “Thanks, Hatter.”

“Entirely one’s pleasure,” Belial assured her with a sweeping bow. “Might one ask what brings you here, though?”

“I got tired of waiting for you,” Arariel answered, eyes shuttered.

Belial’s brows climbed. “Indeed?” se murmured. “One does apologize for being tardy. You wish to see His Majesty, then?”

Arariel drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Yes.”

“Hm.” Belial tipped hir head, watching Arariel for a long moment, but she returned the look without a single twitch or flinch. As expected, really. “Follow me,” Belial said, at last.

Se led them down boulevards, up stairs, through a hall, a garden and over the stepping stones of a large pool.

“Are you taking us by the scenic route?” Arariel asked, as they climbed the ramp that spiraled around the outside of a tower to reach the door on the roof.

“Not really,” Belial chuckled. “Lucifer-sama has a talent for finding hard to reach places. Fortunately there aren’t many with approaches quite this obscure. Ah, here we are.”

Lucifer was leaning against the arm of a chair, facing the door when it opened. He examined his guests and looked a question at Belial.

“Arariel and Armaita,” Belial introduced them. “I believe Arariel has some business with you.”

He smiled. “Business?”

“Just a few questions I wanted to ask you,” Arariel put in, quietly, stepping forward.

Amusement gleamed in Lucifer’s eyes. “Ask.”

“What do you require of your people?”

Belial, fading into the shadows to watch the show, paused in surprise. That was far more formal than Arariel usually bothered to be.

Lucifer’s stillness shed the lazy edge it had had lately. “That they obey me,” he replied. A thin smile crossed his lips, and he added, “And that they keep the body count from their internal plotting within reason.”

Armaita wrapped her arms around herself, shivering a little. Belial wondered why Arariel had brought her, and not someone like the ever-calm Nisroc.

“And do you protect your own?” Arariel asked.

Belial smirked. The last time Lucifer had been among them he probably wouldn’t have dignified such a question with an answer. Now, he pushed upright from his chair.

“I do.”

Armaita stumbled to the floor.

“Armaita!” Arariel gathered the other angel close and looked sharply at Lucifer.

Armaita shook her head, squeezing Arariel’s hand. “It’s true,” she said, a little shakily, and then laughed on a broken breath. “Very, very true.”

Belial started. And then se couldn’t resist the urge to applaud. “You brought someone who hears truth to negotiations! Brilliant, Arariel.” Se paused, judiciously. “More brilliant if it were less obvious, but still.”

“Shut up, Hatter,” Arariel told hir, exasperated. “This is too much for you, Armaita. Wait for me outside.”

Armaita shook her head, stubbornly. “No, Arariel-san. You need to know. I’ll be all right.” She cast a rueful glance up at Lucifer. “I never thought the Lord of Hell would speak so truly.”

Lucifer, who had watched the flurry silently, folded his arms. “Nanatsusaya left me some of its edge, I think. A double edge, of course.”

Armaita nodded, and turned back to Arariel. “I’ll be all right.”

Arariel sighed, and tightened her arms around Armaita. “All right.” She looked back up at Lucifer.

“Ask,” he repeated, evenly.

“If I bring my people under you, will you protect them?” she asked. “Even if I’m killed?”

“If they wish to continue to serve me, I will protect them,” Lucifer answered.

Armaita nodded. Arariel echoed it.

“Then I only have one more question. Will you lead us, and not abandon us, even for Alexiel when she returns?”

Lucifer looked thoroughly startled for a moment, before his mouth twitched and he raised his eyes to Belial’s. Se wound hir arms around hirself and gazed back. It was the one thing se had never asked him–had never dared. He sighed.

“Alexiel draws souls after her,” he said to Belial and Arariel both, “and there will be times when I’m gone, no doubt. But I won’t abandon you.”

A shudder passed through Armaita, and she nodded, vehemently. Arariel relaxed, and Belial was mildly disgusted to realize that se had as well.

“All right,” Arariel said, tone decisive, and stood. She hesitated, one hand on Armaita’s shoulder when she wavered a bit.

Belial settled beside Armaita and offered an arm. The truth was to be valued. Armaita leaned on hir readily.

“Thank you, Hatter-san,” she murmured.

Arariel grinned down at them, eyes sparkling as Belial gave her a cool look. “Seems I really did catch you pretty well,” she commented. “Only fair that I’m caught in return, I suppose.”

“Are you caught?” Lucifer wanted to know, as Arariel approached him.

She snorted and knelt before him. Snagging his hand, she pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I’m yours,” she told him, quietly.

Belial laughed silently. That, now, was more the sort of formality se expected from Arariel. In hir arms, Armaita shivered and looked up at Lucifer. Slowly and deliberately, she nodded. His expression warmed a shade as he returned it, and tugged Arariel back up.

“Groveling bores me,” he told her. “Don’t bother.”

She grinned as he went to stand over Armaita. Belial felt a moment of surprise when he held his hands down to Armaita and she took them without hesitation and let him draw her to her still shaky feet. Se didn’t think se had ever seen anyone trust the Lord of Hell so simply. Then se caught sight of Arariel’s smug expression, behind Lucifer, and had to hide a smile under the brim of hir hat. Arariel was a sly creature, to offer such bait to one who had been betrayed by his creator and reviled by his people because of it.

“Very clever, Arariel,” Lucifer said, without looking around.

“I thought so, yes,” she agreed, without even the grace to look abashed.

Lucifer directed his amused smile down at Armaita. “And where did you come from?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, softly. “Gabriel-sama took me into her household very young. I never found out whether I was a Forbidden Child, or intended to be like this, or simply an… anomaly. But that was where I met Arariel-san, and when Gabriel-sama was struck down Arariel-san took me with her and escaped.”

“That’s like Gabriel,” Lucifer noted. “And like Arariel, too,” he added, glancing over his shoulder at his new subordinate. She met his eyes calmly.

“Your assistant, here, should make it easier to convince your people to accept my rule,” he observed. Arariel shrugged one shoulder. “How easily could you convince them to move?” Lucifer pressed.

Arariel arched a brow at him. “Here, I take it? That probably depends on just how much your heart is set on rubbing us in everyone’s noses.”

Lucifer’s eyes were hooded. “I am very dedicated to a stable world for all of us, but I’m doing it out of spite towards the dead. I’m not going to kill you off with unwarranted optimism.”

Armaita twitched a little and looked up at him reproachfully.

“Always and only the truth,” he told her before turning back to Arariel. “There’s a new area of the city no one has moved into yet. I would prefer you didn’t have to leave a trail of bodies behind you when you walk down the streets, but I do want you closer.”

Belial considered that. It sounded as though se was finally going to have some company in hir attendance on hir lord. Se eyed Arariel, who was eyeing hir back. Lucifer leaned back against his chair, out of the line of measuring looks, and waited.

“If the second war taught me nothing else,” Arariel spoke at last, “it taught me what loyalty means.”

Another two edged statement, that. But Belial was willing enough to trade away a little of hir freedom to betray in return for one more person who would _not_ betray Lucifer.

“One understands the principle, as well,” se answered.

“I think the question is whether you’ll apply it,” Arariel said, dryly.

Belial returned a nod. “I think the answer is that I will.”

Se appreciated Arariel’s diplomacy in not checking the statement immediately with Armaita.

Lucifer smiled, faintly. “I’ll leave you two to settle the details, then.” He laid a hand on Armaita’s shoulder. “Come. I’ll show you the new quarter while they fence with each other.”

Armaita muffled a laugh and ducked her head, following him out.

Belial and Arariel both snorted and exchanged a speaking glance. Arariel joined hir at the window, and Belial obligingly moved over to make room on the ledge. They looked out over the city for a while, in comfortable silence. It was Arariel who eventually broke it.

“Alexiel,” Arariel pronounced the name like the answer to a question. “Tell me about her.”

**End**


End file.
